| EDELWEISS |
| (.375 member) |
| 05/07/20 11:12 AM |
Any love for the 38-55
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I have a H. Pieper cape gun 12 x 38-55. I havent fired it since acquiring it, mostly because of being unable to find ammo locally. I know its still made in "modern" loadings as well as cowboy loads. The cape gun is in good shape but Id feel better limiting it cowboy loads. Currently none of the major distributors have the ammo in stock.
Ive seen a few Winchesters in 38-55 and even one smith who does conversions on your Winchester. I also found a Martini chambered in the cartridge.
From my research, it appears to be a good medium game cartridge. Id like to use it for Wild Boar and maybe Black Bear.
Any thoughts
| Tom_H |
| (.333 member) |
| 05/07/20 11:38 AM |
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Re: Any love for the 38-55
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Just as an aside, I probably had the same gun (hammer double with side lever) Mine was marked 12ga and 38-55 (probably for the American market. Upon checking the bore and chambers, the chambering was actually 9.3x57r/360. 38-55 would fit in the chamber although I never fired it.
Good luck and that might be the cartridge for my next DR or single shot build.
Tom
| EDELWEISS |
| (.375 member) |
| 05/07/20 11:44 PM |
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Re: Any love for the 38-55
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Yes that sounds like mine. I spotted it at a dealer who didnt know what he had. I paid him so fast I nearly threw the money at him.
Its tight and quite shoot-able, which I plan to do once I can get ammo. I want to start with the cowboy loads, and I'll probably stick with them, as Im not sure theres a real need for more.
Ive been thinking a good companion for it (in the same 38-55) would be a period looking single shot with a Malcolm type scope. That way Id have a good short range capegun and a longer (intermediate) range scoped rifle in the same cartridge.
| DarylS |
| (.700 member) |
| 06/07/20 01:48 AM |
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Re: Any love for the 38-55
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There is a need to slug the bore - need land and groove dimensions. Those at the muzzle will likely be all that is needed.
A pure lead slug of lead should be used.
.38/55's were mostly in the .378" to .383" groove dia. It is best to match that precisely with a cast bullet - or 1 to 2 thousandths oversize.
| EDELWEISS |
| (.375 member) |
| 06/07/20 02:06 AM |
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Re: Any love for the 38-55
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Thankx Daryl I really do appreciate the suggestion. Im gonna use factory ammo.
Call me silly but I dont enjoy reloading. I pretty much only do it for cartridges I cant otherwise find. If factory ammo is available, its my go to. I "know" all the pluses for reloading; but I really dont enjoy it. I dont make my own beer or grow my own vegetables either.
| DarylS |
| (.700 member) |
| 06/07/20 02:13 AM |
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Re: Any love for the 38-55
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Sounds fair - factory ammo will, of course, have jacketed bullets which fair better if they happen to be slightly undersize, than-do cast projectiles.
| tinker |
| (.416 member) |
| 06/07/20 02:54 AM |
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Re: Any love for the 38-55
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38-55 is a cool cartridge.
I hope this gun works for for you.
Keep us posted.
| aromakr |
| (.375 member) |
| 06/07/20 05:38 AM |
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Re: Any love for the 38-55
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Not only is the 38-55 a cool cartridge, it is one of the most inherently accurate round ever produced and used by many 200yd. offhand shooters. We have several local guys that use it in our area, but I'm sure they handload for it. Good luck in your quest.
Bob
| EDELWEISS |
| (.375 member) |
| 06/07/20 05:50 AM |
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Re: Any love for the 38-55
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I know the "modern" loads are jacketed but Im pretty sure the the cowboy loads are cast. My plan is to shoot cowboy loads for sure in the Cape Gun and for a future single shot Im open to cowboy cast loads or modern jacketed loads.
IF the stars shine, then the same cowboy load will perform in a modern build....
| DarylS |
| (.700 member) |
| 06/07/20 10:25 AM |
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Re: Any love for the 38-55
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Initially a Ballard round, the ammo is mostly all low pressure, as in Winchester's load of a 255gr. .377" FN at about 1,321fps but I think that was from a 24" bl.
There was a higher pressure loading at one time, with the 255gr. FN running up to 1,800fps.
| EDELWEISS |
| (.375 member) |
| 07/07/20 09:10 AM |
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Re: Any love for the 38-55
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Thankx Daryl. IF I ever get around to building a single shot, I was thinking of something like a 26+ inch barrel. While its not exactly a Buffalo (Bison) cartridge, it just seems like it needs a long barrel and maybe a long Malcolm style scope.
| tinker |
| (.416 member) |
| 07/07/20 12:00 PM |
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Re: Any love for the 38-55
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Ruger No.1 in Hornet has 26" barrel and it's handy.
| 93x64mm |
| (.416 member) |
| 07/07/20 09:42 PM |
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Re: Any love for the 38-55
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Hopefully we'll get to see this fancy piece of kit you have EDELWEISS!
Sounds intriguing.
Don't forget to show us what it can do!
| DarylS |
| (.700 member) |
| 08/07/20 02:18 AM |
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Re: Any love for the 38-55
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Yes, it does.
https://hi-luxoptics.com/products/malcolm-6x-long-telescopic-rifle-scope
NitroX
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| (.700 member) |
| 08/07/20 01:11 PM |
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Re: Any love for the 38-55
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I know nothing about it.
But have "liked" the idea of it, since seeing a commemorative Winchester lever action on a back cover of a catalogue in the 1980s.
| rigbymauser |
| (.400 member) |
| 09/07/20 07:46 AM |
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Re: Any love for the 38-55
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There was at one time I dreamed about a special order Win 1885 in .38-55.
| DarylS |
| (.700 member) |
| 10/07/20 01:22 AM |
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Re: Any love for the 38-55
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Uberti is making Win. Highwalls in .45/70 I think. Maybe the 38/55's were in Italian low walls. I'll check.
I know lowwalls came out a while back in up to .243, but that chambering disappeared and left only the Hornet and RF's.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g_BAQoVLtI
"During the 2005 Remake of the model 1885, they were made in many modern calibres including the .45/70 and .38/55.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Model_1885
In 2005, Winchester reintroduced their famed 1885 Single Shots, labeled the Limited Series. The 21st-century Winchester Single Shot rifles are built with modern technology and steels, enabling them to fire modern smokeless cartridges; the currently popular cartridges of .17 Remington, .243 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield were offered with standard rubber recoil pads and straight butt plates. However, four of those Limited Series Model 1885 SSs were subtitled Traditional Hunters. Those four rifles, in calibers .38-55 and .405 Winchester, .45-70 Government, and .45-90 BPCR, were built in the style of the 19th century, with crescent steel butt plates and 19th-century style folding tang sights, along with full octagon 28-inch-long barrels. Their rifling, in the case of the .38-55, are the (Winchester) traditional one complete turn within eighteen inches (1-18") with rifle grooves at .376, and rifle lands measuring .368 of an inch. The .45-70 is by far the most readily available of these four vintage cartridges. "
| EDELWEISS |
| (.375 member) |
| 10/07/20 09:21 AM |
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Re: Any love for the 38-55
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I was all set with the 38-55, then 405Win started tugging at my brain. Both are great cartridges. I have a "new" Winchester 1895 in 405 Win so a (Malcolm) scoped single shot sounds cool too.....then I found a company DAMKO that make new Martinis.
They are a mid size gun (larger than a Cadet and smaller than a Martini Henry), so their cartridge selection and options are limited to 25-35Win, 30-30Win, 30-40Krag, 303Brit, 357Mag, 44Mag. I talked to the folks at DAMKO, they will do a 38-55; but 405Win and 577-450 wont fit. The guns start at $1800.00.
My fallback, and something making more and more sense to me, is an Encore (in one of Turnbull's colour cased frames). With an Encore I can have both 38-55 and 405Win and toss in some nice wood???
| DarylS |
| (.700 member) |
| 10/07/20 11:19 AM |
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Re: Any love for the 38-55
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Turnbull-s on Marlins are something special!
Sounds good though. I have not seen any Encores by Turnbull.
Likely quite nice, though.
| dreyse54 |
| (.224 member) |
| 13/07/20 11:17 AM |
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Re: Any love for the 38-55
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i had 2 mauser 98 converted to single shot in 38-55.great,very accurate,hardly any recoil and good for deer in south carolina.if i remember right,my load was 32 grain 3130 with a 220 grain bullet.however,the boltface needs to be turned up and the extractor needs some work.
| Kushtaka |
| (.224 member) |
| 17/07/20 10:19 AM |
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Re: Any love for the 38-55
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I believe Chiappa is making their little Sharps chambered for the 38-55 as well.
https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-f...un_id=101469410
| 93x64mm |
| (.416 member) |
| 17/07/20 10:27 PM |
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Re: Any love for the 38-55
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Quote:
I believe Chiappa is making their little Sharps chambered for the 38-55 as well.
https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-f...un_id=101469410
That's a nice little rig there Kushtaka!
Might not be able to be loaded up too much - perhaps if you rebarrelled a P14 then you would certainly be able to get it stoking along!
